Exploration and Relocation
by Mighty ANT
Summary: Horribly bruised and battered, Wheeljack finds safe haven in the small island town of Griffin Rock. Prime/Rescue Bots Crossover
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Night **

_The characters of Transformers: Prime and Rescue Bots do not belong to me, nor will they ever in the foreseeable future. _

_All reviews would be greatly appreciated! _

* * *

A thin veil of fog clogged the sea-chilled air around the creaking docks; the lapping waves the only sound aside from the constantly shifting ferry, tethered down beside several of its identical brethren. The captain of the vessel, going by the name of Arthur Shaw, was a middle-aged, bearded man wearing a thick rain jacket and baseball cap, trudged back to his ferry for the final journey of the night. He paused a moment by the edge of the planking, lighting his pipe and watching as the smoke curled upward, swiftly merging and disappearing into the surrounding fog.

A portion of the dock groaned loudly behind him, sharply piercing the ocean's silence, and the Arthur jumped, his pipe slipping from his fingers and into the murky waters with a _plop_. He muttered an oath at the loss but heeded the strange sound even more. Arthur took a few tentative steps forward, and the fog gradually cleared enough to reveal nothing more than several stacks crates and random junk from the pilings, wisps of mist surrounding them. All was silent once more.

The captain glanced around still, not fully convinced of the dock's alleged emptiness, before propping up his collar and shrugging deeper into his coat and away from the cold. Despite his instincts screaming for him to run, the captain stubbornly stomped over to his ferry, walking across the plank that led onto his ship and into the control room. Once safely within the confines of his vessel, Arthur spared the eerie docks one final glance before starting the engine, drowning out any other odd noises.

The ferry gradually began picking up speed, parting from the docks, and the captain's attention diverted to the steering of his ship. Back on the dock however, a pair of headlights flickering to life through the gloom, and the roar of a powerful engine shattered what remained of the night's quietude as a white sports car zoomed out of the shadows, swerving efficiently to avoid any miscellaneous obstacles in its way. The ferry was still departing, its own chugging engine louder than that of the approaching vehicle, which increased its speed.

The gap between both vessels was massive, at least thirty feet wide, but the sports car, leaking strange blue fluids and belching out smoke, revved its engine, exploding forward with a final, desperate burst of speed.

Its tires left the dock's planking as the car flew through the air, for an instant seeming to almost defy gravity before landing roughly on the ferry's wide platform, sparks flying from its undercarriage. The engine kept running, rumbling softly as the car idled, as if in shock, before it rested lowly on its axles with an inaudible sigh, reversing into the shadows. The fog soon encompassed the car, ferry and all, hiding it from view as the ship headed further out to sea. Far in the distance one could barely make out the faint, glimmering lights of a town.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: A Day in the Life**

_A/N: Apologies for how long it took to post this! Exams are tiring, what can I say :T Only three more to go, at least!_

_Pleas enjoy this chapter, by the way! Don't forget to leave a review :D _

* * *

"Is he awake? Do you think he's awake? This won't work if he's awake."

"Since when did you become such an expert on human customs?"

"Since I started watching those reality shows and cartoons! You really should try it, Heatwave, you could learn a lot about them!"

"Shut up, Blades."

"Oh, quiet down, bots! I think he's waking up."

Cody groggily pried his eyes open, his addled brain swimming with all the familiar voices, and found his father and siblings lined up around his bedside, beaming down at him in their pajamas. Gaping, the boy turned his head and found the bots and crowded around outside his window. "What's—"

Cody's family, bots and all, abruptly broke into song before the boy could finish his question.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Cody, happy birthday to you!" Even with Kade and Heatwave's rather half-hearted singing and Chase's caterwauling, Cody couldn't keep the enormous grin off his face, especially when his father produced a plate stacked high with his infamous chocolate chip pancakes dripping in syrup with a candle in the middle, placing in on the boy's lap.

As the singing died down and Cody blew out the flame, Chief Burns clapped a hand onto his son's shoulder. "Happy thirteenth birthday, Cody." Dani and Graham wasted no time in enveloping him in a choking embrace, careful to avoid his sugary breakfast, while Kade only fist-bumped the struggling boy.

"Thanks, guys," the boy wheezed, and his siblings soon released him so he could turn to the Autobots outside, "and you too!"

"Aw, it's was nothing," Blades crowed, waving a servo in giddy, falsified embarrassment.

Dani rolled her eyes at her partner's antics. "Blades, stop being such a ham. C'mon, let Cody finish his breakfast in peace." The boy's family did as they were told, filing out of his room one at a time. Before Charlie closed the door, though, he turned back to his grinning son.

"Again, happy birthday, champ. Once you're done with breakfast, we'll be waiting downstairs with your presents."

Once the door was closed Cody instantly set to devouring his pancakes, the bot still watching curiously from the window.

"Why do you take joy in consuming the flat buttermilk cake drenched in sucrose and filled with this 'chocolate'?" Chase inquired, critically observing the pancakes that the boy was inhaling. "Are not sweets detrimental to humans' health?"

Cody swallowed before answering. "Well, a lot of sweets can be bad for us, Chase, but Dad only makes his chocolate chip pancakes on special occasions!"

"Oh," Boulder began, optic wide with understanding, "so they're a 'sometimes pleasure', right? Like Graham with his video games?"

The boy chuckled around another piece of pancake in his mouth. "Exactly, Boulder."

"I don't see the point of these 'birthdays'," Heatwave opined grumpily, folding his massive arms over his chassis, "celebrating the day you humans were… 'Born'? I don't see any reason for it."

Cody paused in his consuming of his breakfast, tapping his fork against the nearly empty plate in thought. "Well, weren't Autobots born too, Heatwave? Or at least sort of, right? Chase explained it to me before…"

"It's not just Autobots," Heatwave grunted, "'Cons were 'born' this way too."

"How?" Cody asked, celebratory pancakes momentarily forgotten.

"We come out of the Well of AllSparks," Blades offered.

The boy only blinked. "The Well of what?"

Heatwave shoved the helicopter-bot aside. "Now you're just confusing him."

"The Well of AllSparks is where out deity, Primus, supposedly forged our race, Autobot and Decepticon alike, and it's also where we go when we go offline," Boulder explained gently.

Cody was silent for a moment, digesting the new information. "So it's like the human equivalent of…heaven? Where you come from and where you go back to?"

Boulder took a few seconds to complete a quick internet search. "Yes, in a way."

"Huh," Cody murmured, before the meal in his lap caught his attention again. As the boy was close to finishing his breakfast, Chase spoke.

"What do humans commonly do on these days of birth, Cody?" the police-bot asked, peering in through the wide window.

The boy shrugged. "Well, since it's supposed to be our special day and everything, on most birthdays they get presents, or y'know, gifts, a party with a bunch of friends over and they get whatever they want all day."

"And how do _you_ celebrate it?" Heatwave muttered, pretending to act disinterested.

Cody placed the last bit of pancake into his mouth as he answered. "I usually get a little party with my family and a few friends, and a couple gifts. Back when we had the old squad car, Dad would let me go on patrol with him." the boy climbed out of bed, attempting to fold the blankets and failing miserably, leaving them a tangled lump on his as he walked to the door, empty plate in hand.

"I need to go downstairs real quick—I'll meet you guys down in the bunker, okay?"

The bots nodded in unison, heading back towards the massive doors that led into the garage with few waves farewell.

As soon as his friends had gone, Cody bolted out the door and down the stairs, until he reached the kitchen. On the table, surrounded by his still pajama-clad family, was a small pile of presents.

Cody grinned. "Noble!"

.

Cody had just finished opening his last present, a remote controlled helicopter from Dani, when the telephone rang.

The family of five exchanged uncertain glances before Chief Burns stood to answer it. There was a pause as whoever was on the other side pled their case, before Charlie concluded, "Yes. Yes, Mr. Mayor, we'll be there right away. Your welcome." There was beat of silence before Chief whirled around, clapping his hands together sharply. "All right, Kade, Dani, Graham, get dressed. We need to get into town _now!"_

Kade groaned lethargically, leaning back into the couch. "What is it? Mrs. Neederlander's cat in a tree again?"

"No," Charlie declared, "there's a reckless driver in the middle of town."

"Doc Greene's solar powered car?" Graham questioned, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "But the Morbot turned it to scrap metal."

"It's got nothing to do with Doc," Chief interrupted, "the mayor already called him. We think it may be a driver who's intoxicated or under the influence with how much damage he's causing—now stop talking about it and go get ready!"

As his siblings scattered, Cody brought his helicopter back down, head lowered in subdued despondency. Chief Burns swiftly noticed his son's change in behavior and kneeled beside the boy, an arm over his thin shoulders. "I'm sorry that we had to cut the festivities short, son," Charlie lamented, "but as soon as we nab this crook, we'll have a big ol' barbeque and we'll invite Doc Greene and Frankie over."

Cody smiled through his obvious disappointment. "Its fine, Dad. I still get to use the Com Tab, though, right?"

Chief Burns squeezed the boy's shoulder, grinning comfortingly. "That's my boy. Now get dressed quick, we'll need you when we're out there."

"All right, Dad," Cody nodded, standing and jogging up the stairs. Charlie stood alone in the living room for a moment, before glancing down at his baggy t-shirt and striped pajama pants. "Huh. I guess I'd better get dressed too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Irregular Orbit**

****_Transformers: Prime/ Rescue Bots (c) Hasbro_

_A/N: Did everyone watch the newest Rescue Bots episode? 'Cause it was awesome. _

_Anyway, here's the latest installment, and it's extra lengthy! Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed :T_

* * *

Griffin Rock was considered to be one of the most idyllic and quaint towns of the East Coast, coupled with its plethora of high-end technology that seemed more like it had come out of some science fiction movie than the work of diligent, genius human scientists. And it also happened to be a natural and _un_natural disaster zone.

Tires shrieking, a banged up white sports car tore down a busy street, swerving violently to avoid pedestrians, other vehicles, buildings, and the like. Not everyone was lucky enough to be avoided so easily though, and several citizens had to dodge or throw themselves out of the car's way, many yelling curses in its wake. A few minutes into its rampage a group of rescue vehicles sped around the corner, one in the air and three by land, doing their best to catch up to the speeder.

"What does this half-clock think he's doing?" Heatwave asked aloud, and his partner grumbled dangerously.

"Whoever it is, they had the gall to do something like this on a Sunday. That's my day off!"

"Quit whining."

Chief Burns interrupted before the aggressive partners could begin an argument. "That's enough you two—we're here to catch a speeder, not bicker. Dani, I need you to fly ahead—see if he's headed anywhere in particular. Graham, follow her. See if you can create a blockade in time."

Two of his children chimed their affirmatives, Heatwave and Kade as well, albeit less enthusiastically. Chief Burns glanced down at the monitor imbedded into the dashboard, a bushy eyebrow raised. "Why so quiet, Chase?" he inquired, hands resting calmly on the steering wheel as the police-bot speed on, having mastered driving as an Earth vehicle some time ago. "You're not as…curiously exuberant as you usually are when chasing someone down. Something wrong?"

The bot paused for several instants before answering; roughly skidding around another corner as he did so. "Not anything I can properly put into words, Chief," Chase began, tone wavering with minor uncertainly. "I do not think it has to do with this speeder…not _much_, at least."

Heatwave's strong tenor crackled over the com line. "I would listen to him if I were you," the leader advised sagely, "When Chase thinks something's wrong, then something's _very_ wrong. Like what you humans would call a 'sixth sense'."

Before Charlie could answer or question either bot on what they meant, Cody's voice came over the com link as well. "Dad, I was just talking to Dani—the driver _is_ following a pattern! I'm not that sure how the driver knows where he's going, but we know where he's headed."

"Where, Cody?" Chief Burns demanded.

The boy sounded worried when he answered, but nonetheless sure of himself. "The woods!"

.

"All right, team, Graham and Boulder are setting a blockade at the rim of the forest, but until then we need to stall the driver. Do what you can, but be careful!" Charlie ordered over the collective com lines.

"Roger that, Dad," Kade said over the com link, before gunning Heatwave's engine. His eyes flickered to the monitor for a second before returning his attention to the road. "You ready to do some damage, 'Wave?"

"You bet," Heatwave growled, "and I told you to stop calling me that."

Kade rolled his eyes but directed the fire truck forward until the white speed demon was finally less than a hundred feet away. "Floor it, 'Wave!" Kade instructed, though Heatwave needn't be told even once, and was at the sports car's back bumper in seconds. But on closer inspection, the disguised bot was surprised to see much the other vehicle had suffered through.

The car was an impressive model to say the least, with tinted windows and once-gleaming paint. But now dents of varying sizes and depth traveled from head to taillight and all across its hood, thick, black smoke pouring out from beneath it, complete with natural grittiness, what appeared to be scorch marks, and…_bullet holes?_

Before Heatwave could react, Kade had jerked his steering wheel so that his front fender rammed harshly into the speeder's back bumper, sending the banged up car off course and barreling through a pair of garbage cans. Heatwave grunted as trash hit his windshield and grill, snapping at his partner to be more careful. "We want to stop him, not cause an accident," the bot muttered.

"Hey, guys!" Graham exclaimed over the com, startling the pair out of their escalating argument, "Boulder and I have finished the road block. Just make sure the driver stays on route now."

"Will do, kid," Heatwave said, decelerating slightly, but keeping the sports car in his sights. The driver of the ill kept vehicle seemed to be tiring or ready to give up—if the bot thought positively— as he slowed down as well, the vehicle's path becoming much less erratic.

"This guy's sure caused a lot of damage," Kade whistled, "he'd better hope that's he's insured and got enough money to pay for all this when he's in jail."

"Well said," Chase opined smartly over the com.

"You're almost there, you two," Chief Burns said, " Just around one last corner." The odd procession turned, as Charlie had said, when out of nowhere the sports revved its engine and zoomed forward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kade yelped, his knuckles white on Heatwave's steering wheel, "He's gonna go for it! Guys, he's gonna try to get past you!"

By the blockade, both Graham and the chief received Kade's message and peered down the road, where sure enough, the sports car was speeding towards them.

"Chase, Boulder, cut him off!" Charlie barked and the two complied, transforming and running up to intercept the vehicle.

The sports car swerved wildly, completing a three-sixty so rapidly that smoke poured out from under the tires, and it sped back down the road, this time in the opposite direction.

Chief Burns blinked. "Well. I guess you bots scared him off. Dani, any idea of where he's going?"

"You know, this guy is a pretty manic driver," the young woman observed, "but anyway, he's still driving beside the barricade, and...Oh, he's found some old construction equipment. Planks of wood, steel poles, and…_scrap!"_

"Dani?" Charlie exclaimed, "What happened?"

"The maniac's reversing. I think he's gonna—he just did."

"What?" Chef Burns demanded, "What did he do?"

"He leapt over the barricade using the construction equipment," Blades fretted.

"I forgot that I left those there," Boulder bemoaned, collapsing back into his alt mode. Graham laid a comforting hand on his distraught partner's door.

Chase waited for his partner to deactivate his com before stepping forward. "I apologize for our collective failure, Chief Burns," the bot declared, helm bowed, "as a senior officer, I should have performed better."

"Its fine, Chase," Charlie said, waving the bot's worry aside. "You were right about that speeder though." He ran a tired hand through his gray hair before activating his com again. "Cody, we're gonna be heading back. Keep me posted on Dani and Kade's progress, will ya?"

"Will do, Dad."

.

Kade groaned, leaning back into the leather driver's seat with his arms folded over his chest. "Why are we _still_ looking for this guy?" the fireman demanded petulantly, glaring out the windshield at the multitudinous trees passing him by, allowing Heatwave to take the wheel. "You know as well as I do that we'll never find him in this maze."

Heatwave only grunted, continuing his search. Kade moaned gin. "Geez, you are _so_ stubborn!"

"Like you're any different?"The bot pointed out.

The young man huffed at the slight, hunching back into the upholstery. "Well, I don't mean to be a backseat driver, but what the heck are we even looking for?"

"_I_ am looking for a trail," Heatwave snapped, "tracks, maybe. You didn't see the shape this guy's poor car was in—I thought it would've broken down by now."

"Huh. Well, there's human tech for—_gah_!" Kade was cut off as Heatwave reverted to bipedal mode, throwing the human out of his cab at the same time.

Kade rubbed his sore backside from his spot on the ground, glaring daggers at his partner. "Hey, what's the big idea, 'Wave?"

"Quiet," Heatwave muttered, going down on one knee to closer observe at something in the dirt. Kade stood and tried to look around his partner, who had his back to him.

"What is it?" the fireman asked, resolving to walk around the bot's massive frame. "Tracks?"

Heat wave shook his helm, lifting an enormous digit to point at the dirt. "Energon."

Kade finally got a good look at what the bot was talking about and found a few small puddles of iridescent blue liquid staining the earth. "And…what's that?" he asked, glancing up at his partner.

The bot grunted. "Well I guess it would make sense that you've never seen it before—we never get too badly hurt on our missions, after all." Heatwave glanced down at his human partner. "Energon is our life force. For those with weapons, our ammo."

Kade made a face. "So you're saying that this is robot blood? Gross. Did one of our bots get cut or something?"

Heat wave shook his helm. "No one on my team had been injured to point of spilling energon."

"So that means…"

The bot nodded, optics narrowing. "There's more to our speeder than meets the eye."

.

"So your team was unable to apprehend the speeder, Chief?" Doc Greene inquired curiously as Charlie placed a hamburger on his plate.

"It would seem that way," the chief of police admitted, "but I sent Dani and Kade with their bots to see if they could find any trace of him. Good thing is we live on an island, so there's not really anywhere for him to run."

The scientist set his plate down on the patio table, sitting himself down with a brooding look crossing his worn features. "Did you cross-reference his license plate? To see who the driver is?"

"I already tried that," Charlie confessed, handing Graham his own burger, and two more to quell the young man's appetite, "and the computer came up with nothing."

Doc Greene did a double take, his burger already halfway to his mouth as he paused. "Nothing? But that's impossible, even if it's a stolen car." He set his hamburger down with a raised brow. "Is the computer inside your police-bot, Chief? Perhaps I could have a look at it—take it apart, put it back together, to see if there's anything wrong with the wiring."

With a surreptitious glance to the pair of parked vehicles behind the basketball court, Chief Burns caught his partner shuddering. "Ah, no thanks, Doc!" Charlie said quickly, much to the scientist's obvious surprise.

"But why—"

"Ah, Cody, come get your burger!" Charlie called, stifling Doc Greene's question.

On the basketball court, Cody executed an impressive free-throw before passing the ball to Frankie and jogging over to the grill. Doc Greene's furrowed brow smoothed out as the boy received his lunch. "Ah, the birthday boy!" he smiled, reaching a gloved hand into his multitude of pockets, "I have your gift…somewhere…"

"Top left pocket, Daddy!" Frankie chimed.

Greene fished out the small rectangular parcel, sending his daughter a wave. "Yes, thank you, my dear!" He then held it out to the teen with a grin.

"Awesome!" Cody crowed, setting his plate down to accept the gift, "thanks, Doc!" Before he could open it though, Heatwave came barreling up the driveway, Blades roaring up next to him, stopping side by side. The two passengers disembarked, and Charlie ran up to meet them.

"Did you find anything?"

Dani shook her head, moving her helmet to her hip. "I didn't. But Kade did."

The fireman glanced back at his partner, still in vehicle mode, then to his gathered friends and family before answering, so soft that only the bots and his father heard.

"Heatwave thinks that out speeder was a bot in disguise."

As Charlie stepped back, running a hand through his hair again, Doc Greene spoke up from the other side of the court. "Is everything all right, Chief?" he called helpfully.

Charlie turned, a smile plastered onto his features. "Oh, yeah, everything's fine. They didn't find much on our speeder." He turned to his two children beside him. "Get something to eat, kids. We'll keep looking tomorrow." The pair quickly agreed, rushing to join the festivities, and the unease lifted.

Charlie turned to the row of bots, all in alt modes, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, guys," he muttered, before commanding loudly, "Bots, transform and return to the firehouse."

The Rescue Bots did as they were told, seamlessly reverting to their proto-forms with visors lowered over emotionless optics. They marched back to the firehouse entrance, Boulder breaking protocol for an instant to look longingly back at the human festivities they were missing.

Only Frankie noticed.

.

The bedroom was dark, apart from the rest of the enormous laboratory building. If one listened closely, the sound of drilling and clanking could be heard from the far reaches of the edifice, but their distance did nothing to wake the young, slumbering from of Francis Greene, snuggled deep into her warm blankets, long used to the sound of her father's inventing.

The blinds over her wide window weren't closed all the way, and would've provided ample moonlight if not for the light that outshone it.

Frankie was jolted awake by the startlingly loud roar of a car engine, her blankets pooling around her as she jumped up. The sound soon passed, as did the piercing glow of headlights, but by that time she was already sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes as she suppressed a yawn. Confusion settled then, since the alarm system around the lab should have gone off at the first sign of an intruder….

The girl slipped out of bed and into her slippers, snatching her jacket from her desk as a second thought. Padding into the hall, Frankie still heard the telltale cacophony of her father hard at work and deduced that he hadn't heard the car engine.

Taking great care not to be noticed or heard and put back to bed, Frankie used the holographic dog door to get out, and was promptly greeted by the night's usual chill. She buried herself deeper into her jacket and continued forward, her curiosity peaked. A few seconds passed without any clue to the strange visitor, when Frankie the sound again if only barely—the rumbling of an engine.

Frankie hurried to follow the noise, several different sceneries flashing through her mind—robbers after her father's equipment, the speeder from earlier that day hiding on their land, Doctor Morocco back for revenge… if anything, these thoughts made her go faster.

Finally, Frankie came upon one of her father's multiple warehouses apart from the main laboratory building, light shining through the high windows. Her excited breath coming out in a cloud of vapor, Frankie stayed low and close to the wall, crawling to the wide entrance before carefully poking her head in. What she found inside would forever remain seared into her brain.

Leaning against one of the sturdy concrete walls was a robot. Perhaps as tall as the fire truck bot that worked with Kade, this entity was burly and white with red and green painted finish, and fin like shapes sticking out of either side of its face. While the massive robot itself was still shocking, perhaps even more so was how much damage it appeared to have sustained. Its entire body was covered in deep scratches and dents, while a portion of its side seemed to have caved in, blue liquid spilling from the injury, even leaking through the fingers of the gargantuan hand it had over the wound.

And what more, it even appeared to be _speaking_.

"Wheeljack to—_ngh—_Autobot Base Omega One. I'm…_ugh_… currently in uncharted territory and in need of….medical care. Do you…do you read?" The bot paused, as if waiting for answer, before slamming the back of its head into the wall out of frustration. "Frag," it hissed, and Frankie noticed that its hands were trembling.

Unable to simply _watch_ the thing die, Frankie stood, knees shaking despite her best intentions, and walked into the warehouse, in plain view of the robot—it never occurred to her whether it could've been bad or good.

The being quickly laid eyes on her, and it blanched. "Scrap," he swore.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter Four: Star struck_**

_A/N: Everyone feel happy for me! I have a new baby cousin! He was born last Wednesday and his name's Diego :D He's my...twenty-second cousin on my mother's side! Dear Primus... O.o _

_Anyway, here's the latest chapter! And for anyone who has yet to see Brave...it will blow your mind. I guarantee. _

* * *

"—_Perfect for any skin type—!"_

"—_Next on America's Most Wanted—"_

"—_No, Spike, it's too dangerous!"_

"_I have to, Carly!"_

Blades glanced down at the small blonde boy beside him with a concerned expression, optical ridges furrowed. The helicopter-bot had invited Cody over to the living room portion of the bunker to watch some television, but the boy had been clicking through channels with the air of someone who was not all there, a frown etched into his features.

Wringing his servos, Blades hedged, "Cody, are you feeling okay?" The boy glanced up at him, and the television remained on a human soap opera.

"What do you mean, Blades?" Cody blinked, setting the remote down.

The helicopter-bot shrugged weakly. "I don't know...you seem…sad."

Cody looked away, fiddling with the remote in his hands. "Ah, not really, Blades. A bit disappointed, I guess, but nothing you should worry about." He met the bot's gaze with a smile, appeasing him somewhat. "Now, how about we watch Wheel of Fortune?"

.

"I'll make this brief, Chief Burns—why haven't you caught that demented speeder!"

Charlie's gaze shifted from the police report in his hands to Mayor Lusky's flushed visage, and he sighed. "I already explained this to you, Mr. Mayor," he pointed out, setting the report down on his desk. "The speeder drove into the woods—even with our technology, I'm not about to send my team on a wild goose chase."

As the mayor sputtered, his meaty features tomato red, Chief Burns went on, raising his hands in a placating manner. "Believe me, Mayor, we'll find him there aren't many places he could run off to."

"W-well, what about the ferries?" Lusky fumed, clenching his fists. "That's how he got here in the first place, isn't it? No one owns a car _that_ ostentatious in Griffin Rock!"

Chief Burns nodded. "Yes, that's the only way he could have arrived. Though, oddly enough, Captain Shaw never saw him board…"

"I don't care!" the rotund man seethed, shaking his fists. "He's a menace! His little rampage already cost us hundreds of dollars to repair!" Lusky took a deep breath before heading for the clear double doors of the police station. "Just _find him,_ Chief Burns."

As the door feel closed behind the mayor, Charlie leaned back in his seat, folding his muscular arms over his chest as he watched his uninvited guest's silhouette depart.

"Of course, Mr. Mayor."

.

Frankie walked quickly across The Lab's never ending grounds, juggling an enormous sealed vat in her thin arms when her cell phone rang.

She groaned loudly but didn't slow her pace as she tremulously hefted the container to one arm with a grimace, fishing the phone from her pocket and sticking it between her ear and shoulder so she wouldn't drop her cargo. "Hello?" she muttered, regaining her grip on the vat, the liquid inside it sloshing against the sides.

"Frankie!" Cody greeted cheerily, "Hi."

The girl rolled her eyes at her best friend's lack of tact. "Yes, what is it, Cody? I'm a little busy..."

"Oh? Doing what?"

Frankie frantically searched for a viable excuse. "Oh…um… a project with my dad."

"Can I help?" Cody inquired eagerly.

"No!" she said quickly, but brought her voice down. "I mean, it's my own project. With just me."

"Oh," Cody started, his voice dropping with obvious disappointment, "Okay. I'll see you at school then."

Frankie groaned as she received a dial tone. "Great job, Francine," she grumbled, slipping the cell phone back into her pocket with another equal amount of hassle. "First he gets his birthday ruined by some speeder, and now you've hurt his feelings. What an awesome friend _you_ are!"

She finally reached her destination, one of the final warehouses, and pushed the door open with a few nudges of her shoulder, still mumbling to herself. The giant robot within had his back to her and sparks flew from what he was working on over his massive table, which was really just a thick sheet of metal over enormous crates.

"I didn't know humans talked to themselves!" the bot mused without turning around. "I guess you learn something new every day." Frankie sent his back a glower.

"Very funny," she chided sarcastically, planting the heavy vat onto the concrete, "_anyway_, I brought you the weird blue stuff you asked for."

The sparks instantly stopped and the robot whirled around, his mask sliding away to reveal a grin. "Ah, so the old man was able to refine it from the sample you gave him?" he affirmed, easily picking the container up and inserting it into a slot under the armor over his arm. Frankie nodded.

"Yeah. Daddy had a couple questions, but I just told him that I was trying to discover a new element," Frankie shrugged.

The burly white bot chuckled. "You organics are strange."

Frankie rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk, Wheeljack. Anyway, what're you working on?"

An excited look sparked his optics, and the girl quickly regretted the question as the Cybertronian grinned, turning back to pick up whatever he'd been working on the table behind him. "A layer of more durable armor," Wheeljack said over his shoulder, banging lightly on the battered metal covering his chest, "I took a beating from those 'Cons and I intend to return the favor."

Frankie rocked back on her heels, looking over the supplies that had accumulated since the bot's week of occupying the warehouse. "And your communicator?" she asked off-handedly.

Wheeljack snorted. "Fraggin' things fried. I'd have to get to my ship, which I believe is three states over and across an ocean." He paused to glance down at his pitifully battered frame and grimaced. "And I'm in no shape to take that on. The 'Cons would leave me a grimy stain in the dirt."

The girl made a face. "Well, you're sure optimistic."

Wheeljack shrugged, returning to his welding. "There's not much room for optimism when you're in a war."

"You're in a war?" Frankie echoed, brow furrowed. "You mean...these ''Cons' are the bad guys?"

Wheeljack guffawed with his back still to the child. "Yeah, kid. They're really bad guys."

Frankie was quiet for a moment, tapping a foot against the concrete as she brooded. "Why are you fighting?" she finally questioned.

The bot rolled his shoulders, as if shrugging off the question. "Lotta reasons. But in the end we _all_ lost."

"What do you mean?"

"We lost our planet," Wheeljack grunted, just as Frankie gasped and the doors to the warehouse were opened.

"Oh, is this what you've been doing, dear?"

Both Frankie and Wheeljack froze, the welding stopping and the pair silenced before the girl turned rigidly to face her beaming father.

"Uh….what do you mean, Daddy?" she grinned innocently, vainly hoping that he didn't see the hulking robot behind her. No such luck.

"The bot," Doc Greene clarified, nodding towards Wheeljack who had frozen with his backside facing the humans. "That's why you asked for that odd liquid," the scientist realized, taking a few steps closer to the robot, his daughter nervously falling into step behind him, "it was a fuel source!" he exclaimed, grinning obliviously. "Ingenious." He wrapped an arm around Frankie's shoulders, bringing her closer to him a one-armed hug as he happily observed Wheeljack. "I'm very proud of you, my dear."

"Um…yeah," Frankie coughed, "about that—"

"Oh, how did you do it!" Doc Greene declared, moving away to look over the bot from all angles. "I mean, I know that you inherited my brains, but this is simply amazing, Frankie! Did you cannibalize what was left of Trex's extra parts, or—my, I can't even form a coherent sentence!" the scientist turned to meet his daughter's gaze, looking more like a kid in a candy store than anything else. "Could I take a look inside it?" he asked hopefully, oblivious to how Frankie and the bot abruptly went rigid. "I mean, this is almost exactly like Chief Burns' Rescue Bots, think of the possibilities—"

Frankie winced, seeing the growing and barely suppressed fury in Wheeljack's otherwise emotionless visage, quickly stepping in front of her father. "Uh, yeah, I don't think that's such a great idea, Daddy."

Doc Greene blinked. "Why not, my dear?"

Frankie faltered. "Oh…um…well…"

The scientist put a comforting gloved hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Do not worry, Frankie! Your bot will still be in perfect condition when I'm done, you have no need to worry. I _am_ a professional you know."

Doc Greene took a step closer to Wheeljack, and Frankie caught something snap in the bot's gaze. Wheeljack glanced down, though the doctor didn't notice. "Don't even _think_ about it, fleshy," he growled irately. Doc Greene jumped back with a yelp and slowly looked up at the behemoth glaring down at him.

"Uh…F-Frankie?" the scientist wavered, taking slow, cautious steps back to his daughter's side. "Your bot…"

"He's not really _mine_, Daddy," Frankie grinned, before gesturing extravagantly in the bot's direction. "I introduce to you my friend, Wheeljack. He's an autonomous robotic organism from the planet Cybertron."


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter Five: A Fine Mess _**

_A/N: Many, many thanks to everyone who reviewed or favorited! I hope you continue to enjoy this story. _

_Transformers: Prime/ Rescue Bots (c) Hasbro_

* * *

_BOOM!_

Frankie actually jumped at the sound of the concussive explosion reverberating through the domestic portion of the Lab, this one louder than any other she'd ever heard—and living with her father, she had heard a _lot_ of explosions. The book she'd been reading on natural selection slipped out of her hands, though she didn't bother to retrieve it. She was already out the door and heading towards her father's private lab before it even hit the carpet.

Her heart in her throat, Frankie unlocked the thick metal doors with a swipe of her keycard, and they whooshed opened for her with the familiar hiss of hydraulics. Frankie was instantly swamped in a cloud of thick black smoke that swept out into the hallway, and coughing into her fist, she made her way through it.

"Daddy?" she croaked, squinting through the murk.

"Over here, my dear!" came her father's ridiculously cheerful response, and she was finally able to make out his silhouette, swiping at the thick smoke still clogging the air. Beside him was the striking shadow of a much taller and bulkier being, and glowing blue optics found her amongst the gloom.

"How's it goin, kid?" Wheeljack rumbled, waving smoke away from her path and offering his enormous servo, which Frankie grabbed onto and used to lead her to her father and the bot.

"Good, I guess," Frankie coughed, and as soon as visibility began to return she saw her father leaning over some enormous, blocky _thing_ on his examination table. Doc Greene stepped back, nearly choking on the fumes around them, and the girl saw that the smoke was coming from the strange item on the table.

"Well, my friend," Doc Greene began, lifting his goggles off of his soot blackened face. "It seems as if your fuel source was more combustible than we thought."

"Smaller dosage?" Wheeljack mused, crouching beside the scientist.

"Smaller dosage."

Frankie sighed, and not for the first time wondered if she were the only _sane_ being in her home. "Daddy, were you experimenting with Wheeljack's _alien_ fuel?"

"…Maybe."

At the look his daughter sent him, Doc Greene beamed comfortingly. "Not to worry, my dear. Wheeljack has assured me that it's perfectly safe." The object on the table before him shot out sparks and belched out some more smoke, as if purposely contradicting the scientist's words. "Right, Wheeljack?"

The Autobot didn't seem to have heard the good doctor, as he had snatched up the device as soon as the sparks had flown and begun fiddling with it. "Uh…sure, Doc," was all he mumbled, not doing much good to reassure Frankie.

The girl rolled her eyes, hands akimbo. "Didn't you tell me once that this…Energon of yours was extremely _dangerous_ for humans?"

Wheeljack didn't answer for a moment, instead looking over the mechanism, and in that time Dither floated out from beneath the table where it had been hiding and cruised up and around to the bot's face, holding out its favorite toaster. "Toast?" it asked politely, though, as usual, Wheeljack barely paid it any heed and only waved the bot away as if it were nothing more than a pesky fly.

"Yes…" he finally amended, picking up a Cybertronian sized wrench from the equally large toolbox beside him. "Under most circumstances it's downright toxic. But I've distilled this solution enough so than it won't poison any of ya."

"Gee, thanks," Frankie teased, and Wheeljack smirked.

"Toast?" the Helper Bot supplied again and the Autobot batted it away with a growl.

Wheeljack returned the wrench to its proper place and pulled out an odd looking tool almost resembling a miniature crowbar, continuing his work on the device in his palm and Dither bobbed around him. "Yeah, I know it's not the most reassuring of odds, but— Dear Primus! Doc, could you call off your fragging bot before I whack it inta' a wall?"

"Oh, yes of course," Doc Greene said, before flagging down his Helper Bot. "Come down her, Dither!" The bot floated back down to its master, oblivious to how close it had come to an early offlining.

Now cowering behind the scientist, Dither murmured a tentative, "Toast?"

Doc Greene turned back to the Autobot with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, Wheeljack. You were saying?"

The Cybertronian huffed. "You should both be safe around the distilled Energon. The bugs we're having are only the result of using human technology."

"Ah, yes, and speaking of human technology," Doc Greene added, nudging his Helper Bot away from his elbow. "There's a friend of mine who might be able to repair your ship."

"And why would some human be able to help with Cybertronian tech?" Wheeljack inquired without much curiosity, though Frankie was already beaming.

Doc Greene smiled as well, and he wiped the soot off his goggle lenses as he spoke. "Because, she's already created a craft that was well ahead its time, and is most likely the only other human, scientist or not, we can trust in Griffin Rock. What do you say?"

The two humans waited for Wheeljack to answer, and when he shrugged they released the breaths they'd been holding. "Couldn't hurt to try," was all the Autobot said.

"Good," Doc Greene said, putting his goggles back onto his head and walked over to the other side of his lab, gathering all sorts of scientific equipment. "We'll need these…Frankie, could you bring that trolley over?"

As his daughter complied, a shrill beeping abruptly filled the laboratory. Wheeljack was on full alert in an instant, crouched in a defensive position with one servo already replaced with a fusion cannon and the other still clutching the device.

"What's that?" he demanded as Doc Greene raced over to one of the monitors.

"It's the gate's proximity sensor," the scientist answered, gloved fingers flying over the keys. "Something's driving up to the Lab…" a live feed suddenly filled one of the screens and Doc Greene paled slightly. "It's the Chief."

"And?" Wheeljack muttered, already disinterested and had returned to his device, which had begun to look more and more like an engine as the residual smoke cleared.

"_And_ you need to hide!" Frankie berated, stomping over to the indifferent Autobot. "We can't have Chief Burns waltz in here and find a giant alien robot!"

"So what do you suggest I do?" Wheeljack countered, glaring down at the girl from behind his invention.

Doc Greene intervened before the pair's argument could escalate any further. "Wheeljack, you must return to vehicle mode outside."

"But this 'Chief' of yours knows my alt mode. If he sees it he'll question you two."

The scientist shook his head, "No, I made a modification to your vehicle mode, remember? Now hurry, the Chief will be here any moment now!"

With a grumble, mixed with a few dozen Cybertronian curses, Wheeljack set down the new Scrapmaster engine and proceeded to storm out of the lab, the Helper Bot pursuing him with continuous cries of, "_Toast_? _TOAST?_!"

000000

"Remind me again, Chief, but why are we investigating The Griffin Rock Laboratory?" Chase asked his partner as they pulled past the entrance gate. "Has Doc Greene or one of his employees broken a law?"

Charlie chuckled, hands resting easily on the police-bot's steering wheel. "Not as far as I know. According to several eyewitness accounts our speeder from two weeks ago was seen very close to here. We're just checking it out."

This seemed to be enough information for Chase as he hummed in satisfaction just as they arrived at the domestic portion of the Laboratory's complex and found a jet black sports car ostentatiously parked in the place where Doc Greene's yellow energy-saving Hummer usually rested.

"I was not aware that Doctor Greene was a fan of such flashy vehicles," Chase mused aloud.

"Neither was I," Charlie frowned. He unbuckled his seat belt and exited the police car just as someone called out to him.

"Ah, Chief Burns! What a surprise."

Charlie chuckled, all traces of discontent erased from his features as he turned to face his friend. "Sorry to drop by unannounced, Doc," he amended, walking over to where the scientist was hauling a trolley laden with all kinds of scientific doodads out of his private lab building.

"Think nothing of it," Doc Greene said airily, carefully leading the trolley down a ramp. Charlie was surprised when the doctor stopped by the black sports car, opening the passenger side door and began to pile his items inside.

The Chief coughed discretely, though the good doctor didn't turn to look at him. "Doc, since when do you drive a sports car?"

"Since now," Doc Greene beamed just as he finished loading the remainder of his equipment. "Quite a beauty, isn't he?"

"Well yes, but—"

"Daddy!" Frankie chimed, stifling Charlie as she jogged out of the Lab as well, her pair of Doberman pinschers tugging furiously at their leashes. "I'm taking Edison and Aristotle for a walk. Oh, hi, Chief Burns!"

Charlie grinned weakly. "Hey, Frankie."

"_Dad_."

Doc Greene jumped, tearing his gaze away from a vial of blue liquid he'd pulled from his coat pocket and been examining. "Oh yes, be careful, dear!" He turned back to the Chief as his daughter was dragged off the grounds. "Were you saying something, Chief?"

Charlie sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "No, Doc. It was nothing."

"Very well. Then I must be off!" Doc Greene concluded cheerfully, closing the passenger door of his car before trotting over to the opposite side.

One of Charlie's bushy eyebrows rose in question. "Where are you off to, Doc?"

"Professor Baranova invited me over to her lab so we could compare notes and experiments," Doc Greene informed him happily, plopping down into the driver's seat and pulling the door closed. "I will call you later, Chief!" he shouted as he sped towards the gates, tires leaving behind a thin trail of smoke.

As the engine's roar began to fade, Chase inquired curiously, "Shall we pursue him, Chief?"

"Nah," Charlie said, folding his arms over his chest, "but we'd better keep an eye on that car of his."

0000000

"You think he suspects?"

Doc Greene glanced down at the dashboard of the disguised sports car, his gloved hands lying over the steering wheel but allowing the Autobot to do the actual driving. "Chief Burns always suspects," he shrugged. "He always has, ever since that accident about ten years ago... Turn right here."

Wheeljack complied, and Griffin Rock gradually disappeared in the Wrecker's rearview mirror. "What happened ten years ago?"

"I blew up the Lab while searching for a way to rid microwaves of their harmful radiation," the scientist shrugged absently. Wheeljack whistled in awed incredulity.

"And my team said _I_ was accident prone…"

The doctor chuckled. "Ah yes, well, accidents seem to be my defining trait. Ah, keep straight ahead."

Wheeljack followed Doc Greene's directions, and the paved road son gave way to dirt. "So who's this friend of yours anyhow, Doc?" he asked. "And why couldn't the kid come with us?"

"The Chief would have found it suspicious," Doc Greene answered easily, keeping a firm hold on one of the crates of fragile vials he had moved onto his lap as the road became more uneven. "Besides, Edison and Aristotle _did_ need a walk."

Not for the first time, Wheeljack harrumphed at his human companion's oddness, climbing a final bluff before a massive structure came into view in front of a desolate beach. It was shaped oddly; more like a space station from old science fiction films Frankie had been kind enough to show him, with a cylindrical center building and four pod-like constructions jutting out of the sides.

"What is that?" the bot sputtered, all he managed to say as he pulled up in front of the alien monstrosity.

"My friend's home," Doc Greene answered with a grin. Wheeljack opened the door for him and the scientist set his crate of vials down in his seat before climbing out walking over to the massive entrance. Greene pushed a button to activate the intercom and called to his friend.

"Professor, we're here!"

He stepped back, and seconds later an enormous door that had previously been molded into the wall slid open and a slightly bedraggled looking female in a smudged white lab coat similar to Doc Greene's stepped out.

"Hello, Professor," Greene greeted, and the woman smiled before getting down to business.

"Is that it?" she asked, pointing towards the ebony sports car.

Doc Greene nodded. "Yes, that's him. My…odd friend I told you about." Louder, he said, "You can transform, Wheeljack. There's no one else here."

The Wrecker should have run a scan of the area. Protocol and habit dictated it, but despite routine, Wheeljack trusted the human. He was definitely too oblivious to be a Decepticon spy anyway, if they were even allying themselves with humans. And so he transformed without even a cursory scan of the terrain.

Professor Anna Baranova gaped at the hulking transformer before her, at least five feet shorter than the tallest Rescue Bot but twenty times as menacing. With scarred visage, battered frame, and a pair of piercing, intelligent eyes, this bot was surely one to be reckoned with.

"Amazing…" Baranova breathed, not put off by the bot's healing gashes and old wounds. She cleared her throat, taking a hesitant step forward as she fiddling with her black rimmed glasses. "Hello, my friend! Dare I say you do bear quite a resemblance to Chief Burn's…rescue men. What is your name?"

"Wheeljack," the Autobot grunted, keen optics darting sharply over the landscape. He turned back to the humans with a furrowed brow. "We gonna go inside? 'Cause I don't really feel like winding up on your 'eleven O-clock news'."

The professor blinked before nodding quickly, gesturing toward the interior of her enormous home. "Ah, yes, yes of course. Please, come inside."

Wheeljack padded forward, carefully glancing over either shoulder before disappearing within the dark confines of the _Midgard, _its door sealing shut behind him.

0000000

"So you need a ship?"

Wheeljack didn't pause in his observance of the massive structure, glancing every which way as he answered the professor. "I need _my_ ship."

"My friend was gunned down somewhere over Vermont," Doc Greene quickly interrupted, walking in step with the bulky Autobot and Baranova. "And he doesn't currently possess the materials or ability to repair it on his own, and we were wondering if you would be kind enough to lend your skills…?"

The professor paused in front of a pair of heavily sealed doors, punching in her code before they slid open with a hydraulic hiss, and were mercifully tall enough that Wheeljack only had to crouch to get through. "'Gunned down'?" she echoed, turning to face the Autobot with an austere look. "Gunned down by whom?"

"An enemy," Wheeljack huffed. Baranova opened her mouth to demand more information but the Wrecker cut her off. "Believe me, lady; the less you know about these guys, the better."

Baranova pursed her lips but said nothing else on the matter. "Fine." The professor was about to turn when an idea seemed to strike and she whirled back around. "But _why_ should I help you…Wheeljack?"

"We'll give you samples of a rare fuel that only _his_ race runs off of," Doc Greene said in a sing-song tone, rocking back on his heels with an air of innocence. "In other words, an alien energy source ripe for _private_ study…."

Professor Baranova folded her arms over her chest with an easy grin. "All right, you've convinced me."


End file.
